Pursuing decarbonization along with national security: Assessing public support for the Thacker Pass lithium mine

Abstract

Decarbonization policies are being stymied by political conflict. Local communities might oppose decarbonization infrastructure such as solar farms, mines, or transmission lines if they view these projects as imposing high costs on them in relation to their benefits. To decarbonize, the automobile industry seeks to shift from the internal combustion engine to electric vehicles, which require lithium-based rechargeable batteries. In the United States, to meet the increasing lithium demand through domestic sources, there is a proposal for a lithium mine in Thacker Pass, Nevada, which faces strong opposition from native nations and environmental groups. Using a representative sample of Nevada residents (n = 1,368), we explore if proximity to the Thacker Pass mine and to any Nevada mine influence public support for the proposed lithium mine. In addition, we test three frames that emphasize different benefits of the proposed mine: climate policy, national security, and local economic development. We find that respondents living closer to the Thacker Pass mine tend to be more supportive of the proposed lithium mine but exposure to existing Nevada mines does not affect public support. Among the treatment frames, only the national security frame increases public support. This suggests that to navigate local public opposition, the national security—domestic sourcing of key inputs required for decarbonization, aspect of decarbonization projects should be highlighted.

Wind turbines as new smokestacks: Preserving ruralness and restrictive land-use ordinances across U.S. counties

“…Opposition to many mining projects which are critical to energy transition is often led by liberal groups. For example, Uji et al [ 63 ] report that environmental groups are actively opposing Nevada’s Thacker Pass lithium mines because they see this mine to be polluting groundwater and harming flora and fauna. However, whether partisanship may or may not translate into support for local climate projects is an issue of further research.…”

Does partisanship shape public support for suspending U.S. federal gas tax? A survey experiment

“…These results are consistent with a recent study assessing public support for the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada, a mineral critical for renewable energy transition, which reduces U.S. dependence on China for this mineral. Uji et al (2023) find that public support for the mine increases when its benefits are framed in terms of national security but not in terms of climate policy [32].…”

Public Perceptions of Mineral Criticality and Preferences for Energy Transition Strategies in the US

“…The public's perception of critical minerals and their application in clean energy technologies is not well understood. This is because there are extremely limited studies examining public awareness and perception of critical minerals as speci c inputs used to manufacture energy technologies (Uji et al, 2023;Liu et al, 2022).…”

“…This study, based in the US, contributes to the limited literature (Liu et al, 2022;Uji et al, 2023) by administering a nationally representative survey to examine the public's perceptions regarding the criticality of minerals and awareness regarding their importance in the energy transition. The study also explores preferences for various mineral-related strategies to support a successful energy transition.…”

“…Previous studies document strong opposition to mining and extraction projects, including critical minerals needed for the energy transition (Malone et al, 2023). For example, Uji et al (2023) nd local opposition to the Thacker Pass lithium mining site in Nevada, even when respondents are provided with information that mining lithium would facilitate the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector by providing inputs for electric vehicle (EV) production. Liu et al (2022) nd that consumers are generally unaware of the extraction impacts of minerals used in EVs and the governance surrounding this process, highlighting potential con icts between the objectives of the energy transition and the effects of mineral extraction.…”